There are several reasons why any one of us could feel a bit out of sync with others in the workplace. This is especially true for yin leaders. What’s a yin leader? A yin leader is someone who doesn’t fit the Western extroverted stereotype of leadership, but who leverages an alternative set of competencies and natural talent patterns to lead in a different way. For yin leaders, their more introverted temperament is often under-appreciated in the office. Most of us, including these introverts themselves, have been fed a fairly steady diet of extroversion as synonymous with leadership. We have equatedRead More

Originally post at Price Associates blog 10/28/2016. This is an election year. For many Americans, the two remaining presidential choices share a perceived concern that looms large related to personal character, or a potential lack thereof. This likely underlies the largest disapproval ratings of candidates, in both parties, we have ever seen. The political processes we have been following for years, with an emphasis on speeches and debates, most definitely emphasizes charisma, persona, and stage presence. Now, we’ve added social media management to the mix, another platform where candidates can manage their public image. What do any of these tellRead More

“You need to be funnier.” “You’re just too serious.” These are examples of two cards played against me on significant occasions that led to painful career path alterations. As an introvert and a leader, my journey to self-acceptance and understanding has been winding. In the West, we are taught from a young age that leaders are to be charismatic, loud, highly social, and fast-paced. Introverts living in this biased culture will often experience violations of our inherent dignity. “You’re just not leadership material,” we are told, despite our previous leadership successes. It is only recently that the business world isRead More

Originally posted in Price Associates blog 9/14/2016 Every time I speak to a group of people, there are some in the crowd who’ve never heard the term “ambivert.” I usually ask for a show of hands of the extroverts, then the introverts, then I ask if anyone else didn’t vote or is a little confused. If you’re not sure which side of the continuum you belong on in this discussion, you may well be an ambivert. Ambiversion is a mixture of introverted and extroverted traits that makes identification as either one difficult. Introversion tends to be identified by higher sensitivityRead More